2018 Best MBAs: Mohamed Hrezi, Michigan State (Broad)

Mohamed Hrezi

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Disciplined, hard-working, and searching for life’s equilibrium through my career and my running!

Hometown: Naugatuck, CT

Fun fact about yourself: I was a 2016 Olympian in the marathon and have set two national records while in B-school!

Undergraduate School and Degree: Gerdin College of Business, Iowa State University – B.S. Accounting

Where did you work before enrolling in business school? I was a professional runner for Brooks.

Where did you intern during the summer of 2017? Johnson & Johnson Consumer, Fort Washington, PA

Where will you be working after graduation? Associate Brand Manager, Johnson & Johnson Consumer

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: VP of Corporate Relations for the MBA Association, guest speaker during freshman orientation, weekly local group runs, & volunteer for MBA recruiting events

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Best presenter award at the Big 10+ case competition.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Having my first corporate professional experience come during my internship and witnessing my recommendation come to life was more fulfilling than I could have ever imagined.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Clay Voorhees, for introducing and helping me better understand the foundations of marketing. He was also a huge asset in my internship search and offered outstanding advice on my career focus.

What wasyour favorite MBA Course Brand Management/Development. This course offered first-hand experience, as we were able to work on a real brand development (marketing) project with Hills Brothers and present our recommendations to the Marketing Director at the end of the course.

Why did you choose this business school? Broad offered a close-knit community that was unmatched by other programs. Having a small class size means that I have built a very strong network that includes nearly every one of my classmates and the classes before and after ours.

What is your best piece advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program? Do your due diligence and come to your interview prepared to ask thoughtful questions that will help you differentiate your top schools because you want to hear about the schools strengths and weaknesses from current students and faculty.

What is the biggest myth about your school? That we are only good for operations/supply chain. Although there is some truth to this, I discovered that Broad has a lot to offer, with great faculty in all departments and a tremendous amount of support from current students, alumni, and career services.

What was your biggest regret in business school? Not attending study abroad, I had to back out because of a conflict and will regret that decision for a long time.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Ramin Vismeh because he’s already completed a PhD in Chemistry (which seems far more difficult than an MBA). After years of working, he decided to make the leap to an MBA for better job opportunities and professional growth. Not many PhD’s would make a pivot like this and his gamble has paid off.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? Between my father and my then roommate, UofM Ross MBA Bobby Curis (’17), I knew that going back for my MBA would be the best decision of my life. It allowed me to pursue professional running, but finding a perfect balance of academics and athletics has allowed me to access in both!

“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be… a professional runner (still).”

If you were a dean for a day, what one thing would you change about the MBA experience? I would reach out to alumni to create a “buddy” pairing system with current MBA students and successful alumni. This is something I’ve seen other programs do and every student would be thrilled to have an alumni contact for professional advice.

What are the top two items on your bucket list? See the Northern Lights and the Tierra del Fuego

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? As a classmate who did all he could to improve the image of Broad and make a lasting cultural change.

What would your theme song be? “Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor

Favorite vacation spot: I have a soft spot for Libya since my family still lives there – the beaches are unbelievable, everything is affordable, and I speak the language!

Hobbies? Outside of running, I love to travel, I’m a coffee enthusiast, and I love to play basketball (dreamed of being in the NBA as a kid).

What made Mohamed such an invaluable addition to the class of 2018?

“Mohamed is sunshine personified, backed by the work ethic of a champion. I first met him as an incoming student, before classes had even started. The conversation revolved around him asking for the opportunity to report to MBA orientation later than the rest of his classmates. Being that this request was a bit unusual, I asked for justification. His response was along the lines of, “I’m running the Olympic Marathon in Rio.” In our conversation that day, I became sure of two things very quickly: Mohamed was a tremendously humble, empathic, wise individual that would be a success in any endeavor, and that those traits were balanced by a work ethic that is second to none.

In Mohamed’s time in the program since his entry, he has proven to be an academic superstar, as well as the best communicator and briefer in his class, a notable accomplishment given how seriously we take this discipline at Broad. Despite his amazingly busy academic and training schedule, he was responsible for developing and executing ten student events in the 2018 academic year that were amongst the most successful of the year, involving nearly a hundred people at each event. Because of his achievements, he has been selected to represent his program at national case competitions and as one of our best student ambassadors and team advisors. While many students excel in one area, Mohamed excels in all areas.

While it is no secret that Mohamed is one of the most accomplished and successful members of his class, he truly is one of the most humble students I have ever met in my 15 years of experience in higher education. He truly models servant leadership every day, choosing to mentor, support and lead by example, versus a dictating, overreaching style. People respond to him because of his expertise and how he treats them. He will be greatly missed, not only by his class, but also by the faculty and staff of this program.”

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